Vent; Council planning charges!!!!!!

murphydog999

We want to put a sliding gate up to secure our driveway/property, and one of the gate companies suggested, as it will face a highway, we better go to planning and see if it needs permission.

Went this morning armed with loads of pictures of the site and they wouldn't even look at it. Oh no, fill the 'do I need planning permission' form in and give us £30 please. Are they kidding :mad: It doesn't need a site inspection, it's only a gate, it's set back away from the pavement, it's not complicated, all I want is yes or no!!! What a rip-off :mad: :mad:

trumpton

Planning and building control charges have risen hugely in the last few years. The planning portal might help explain what you need planning for:

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/

"You will need to apply for planning permission if you wish to erect or add to a fence, wall or gate and:

• it would be over 1 metre high and next to a highway used by vehicles (or the footpath of such a highway); or over 2 metres high elsewhere; or
• your right to put up or alter fences, walls and gates is removed by an article 4 direction or a planning condition; or
• your house is a listed building or in the curtilage of a listed building.
• the fence, wall or gate, or any other boundary involved, forms a boundary with a neighbouring listed building or its curtilage. "

It suggests you will, though I know many people who have built 6 foot high fences or gates that face the road and unless someone complains, the council will be unaware and unlikely to take action. They can of course order you to remove it and take legal action if they wish. I think you will have to decide based on your location, neighbours, and precedents in the area.

daveyjp

If you went to a lawyer for legal advice would you expect it to be free?

planning_officer

murphydog999 wrote: »

we better go to planning and see if it needs permission...

Went this morning armed with loads of pictures of the site and they wouldn't even look at it. Oh no, fill the 'do I need planning permission' form in and give us £30 please. ... all I want is yes or no!!! What a rip-off :mad: :mad:

Providing informal planning advice is not a statutory duty for any Council - it is purely discretionary. As anyone can also get informal planning advice from an independent planning consultant, who will obviously charge, I don't see why Councils shouldn't too. Otherwise taxpayers all contribute to a service that most of them don't use, which isn't particularly fair.

Besides, the informal opinion of a planning officer actually means diddly squat, legally (whether you get it for free or pay £30) and the only way of actually getting a formal decision notice confirming what you propose doesn't require a planning application is to apply for a Lawful Development Certificate - and that costs £75 (which is a national fee).

trumpton

You can't really compare it to choosing to pay a planning consultant. The planning dept is funded by the OP's council tax so it's not unreasonable that they should give brief, informal advice for free, on the understanding that it is simply that. I suspect most councils have just decided to charge for it as a way of generating income. I would think the OP contributes to plenty of services that only a minority use, like libraries.

murphydog999

Trumpton, thank you, you have hit the nail on the head. Why can't they allow you a free 10 minute consultation as a brief assessment to see if you need to take it further? Fair enough if we need to take it further the process takes manpower and manpower is chargeable.

Daveyjp - It is quite usual for solicitors to offer a free 30 minute consultation; so when I present a planning dept with pictures and all the information they need, it riles me that they want £30 without looking at what is in front of them.

When I said they must be raking it in, she said that is exactly why they are doing because there is no money and they have to get it from somewhere!

giraffe69

When I said they must be raking it in, she said that is exactly why they are doing because there is no money and they have to get it from somewhere!

Councils have to raise money. If they don't get it from Government or local taxes then charges are the next on the list. Personally I'd prefer they spent less so they didn't have to charge so much for many things but I don't think £30 is all that unreasonable if you want an opinion(even if it is not binding).

planning_officer

trumpton wrote: »

You can't really compare it to choosing to pay a planning consultant. The planning dept is funded by the OP's council tax so it's not unreasonable that they should give brief, informal advice for free, on the understanding that it is simply that. I suspect most councils have just decided to charge for it as a way of generating income. I would think the OP contributes to plenty of services that only a minority use, like libraries.

They are fair points to a degree, however I must reiterate that whilst certain Council functions are statutory duties, providing informal planning advice is not one of them. There is no one system that will keep everyone happy. Any Council has to maintain a balance between those duties that are essential (building control, waste collection, determining planning applications etc) and other discretionary services. In this financial climate where funding is being cut, Councils have to make difficult decisions about the services they provide. Importantly, if certain discretionary services remain free, then it just impacts upon the resources available to provide essential (and more important) services like waste collection. The level of resources allocated to discretionary Council functions has to depend on their relevance to the Council's objectives and the desire of the majority of local residents.

Also, even though a Council may charge for providing informal planning advice, the Councils charges will still be a lot cheaper than a private planning consultant!

a1054966

It's got nothing to do with anything but paying off the billions they used to 'bail out' the banks. Who's going to pay off the Iceland debt? It's not going to be Iceland is it!

If you allow your government to do it, they will.